Ten years ago, True Blood transported us to the swamps of Louisiana and to a world full of sexy vampires, sexy humans, sexy werewolves, sexy faeries, and for a brief time, sexy were-panthers. The dynamic between humans and vampires within the show was allegorical to the struggles and discrimination faced by many marginalized communities, and True Blood‘s many, many relationships broke every boundary and spanned across different perspectives and experiences. And of course, this being HBO, there was a lot of steamy physicality too. And smooching. Plenty of smooching. With this in mind, we’ve taken the great burden upon ourselves to rank the 8 most memorable ships of the show. 

8. Bill and Sookie

I am glad Bill Compton died and I will not apologize for it. He was so boring! Sookie and Bill’s relationship was always so tortured, fraught and frankly, a slog. Bill was condescending, too protective, constantly putting Sookie in danger, not listening to her, or wooing her via the Civil War courtship handbook. Blegh.

7. Terry and Arlene

Look, isn’t a couple in Bon Temps allowed to be normal for once? Terry and Arlene were a sweet (also tragic) couple with no powers whatsoever. They brought some much needed practicality to the show, and everyone loved them. RIP Terry, and no offense but Merlotte’s is a better bar name.

6. Alcide and Sookie

Hello, Joe Mangianello. It’s truly astounding the number of abs that appeared on True Blood, and Joe Mangianello’s were exceptional to say the least. Just when you thought “Oh, True Blood, the show about vampires,” they went and introduced werewolves to the lore. Alcide is a ridiculous name, and he was only there to worry about Sookie and provide contrasting heat to the vampires’ coolness. But he did give us this great scene in Season 4:

Thanks for the memories, Alcide, even if you were kinda boring sometimes.

5. 
Tara and Eggs

A romance that was doomed from the start and gone too soon: Tara and Eggs were all heat and shared suffering, fueled by a dose of minotaur magic. Tara and Eggs were sweet and sexy at the same time, and all about the fun. Eggs perished at the hands of Marianne and saddled Tara with baggage that would last for seasons, but their season-long romance was one of the most passionate and memorable.  

4. Lafayette and Jesus

Another doomed couple featuring one of the show’s best characters: Lafayette. Lafayette called everyone out on their nonsense and went through some of the most interesting character growth in the course of the show. Jesus was a perfect complement and introduced Lafayette to some of the supernatural’s more…pleasant sides. Again, Jesus’s end was not exactly ideal, but he ultimately appeared to Lafayette as a ghost. Overall this was one of the cooler love stories and dynamics explored on True Blood.

3. Jason and Sarah Newlin

Jason Stackhouse and Sarah Newlin are definitely another “opposites attract” couple in the True Blood universe. He’s a gullible teen boy who follows his dick, and she is half of an uptight anti-vampire power couple. Jason’s interest and eventual takedown of the organization is a compelling subplot and still strikingly relevant. Plus, Anna Camp delivers a fantastic performance as a repressed Christian housewife with plenty of spirit.

2. Jessica and Hoyt

Jessica’s fate is one of the show’s saddest: she was turned into a vampire against her will, and basically spent the rest of her life resenting Bill and being extremely emo about it. Hoyt is just a nice, hometown boy who also becomes increasingly dramatic throughout the show’s run, which include some questionable character choices in the later seasons. Their sweet love eventually evolves and demonstrates openness and understanding.

1. Eric and Sookie

Most of this reasoning behind my love of this ‘ship is that Eric is the best character on True Blood, representing exactly what a vampire should be: apathetic, sexy as hell, strong, and mean to everyone, including the people he cares for most. And yes, for how annoying Sookie could be at times, Eric was one of the only characters who didn’t underestimate or patronize her (*cough* Bill *cough*) and was constantly challenging her beliefs, understandings, and boundaries. Plus, Oscar-winner Anna Paquin and Alexander Skarsgard had the best chemistry and height difference. I rest my case.

Images: HBO